Hyperconnectivity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with disrupted thalamo-cortico-striatal pathways and prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction.
• The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), crucial for behavioral flexibility, is implicated in OCD.
• Previous research suggests maladaptive interactions within brain networks contribute to OCD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate intrinsic alterations in the vmPFC in individuals with OCD.
• To utilize resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) with a vmPFC seed region of interest.
• To explore the relationship between vmPFC connectivity and OCD symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• rs-fcMRI was performed on 38 OCD patients and 33 matched controls.
• A vmPFC seed region was used to analyze functional connectivity patterns.
• Supplementary seed regions within the thalamo-cortico-striatal pathway were also analyzed.

Main Results:

• OCD patients exhibited widespread vmPFC hyperconnectivity at rest.
• Increased connectivity was observed between vmPFC and thalamus, caudate, frontal gyrus, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, cerebellum, and motor cortex.
• vmPFC-caudate hyperconnectivity correlated significantly with OCD symptom severity.
• Further analysis revealed hypoconnectivity along the orbito- and lateral prefrontal cortex-striatal pathways.

Conclusions:

• The findings confirm a central role for a hyperconnected vmPFC in OCD.
• Maladaptive crosstalk between the vmPFC and the caudate nucleus is a key feature of OCD.
• Hypoconnectivity in lateral and orbitofrontal pathways may also contribute to OCD pathophysiology.